Attorney General Office opinion

Oconee Treasurer Greg Nowell says an opinion from the state’s legal beagles is an opinion on the side of the county’s taxpayers. Nowell commented today on that long-awaited opinion on whether it’s proper for him to deposit taxes and late penalties into the general county treasury without divvying out a portion of those collections to the county’s public schools. As explained to 96.3/WGOG NEWS the opinion, as written by Assistant Attorney General Anita Smith Fair, upholds Nowell’s action. It’s a disappointment to Dr. Michael Thorsland, superintendent of Oconee public schools: “The School District was disappointed mainly because it makes an already-difficult budget situation a little bit worse,” Thorsland told 96.3/WGOG NEWS.